Music Behind the Mask: Tift Theatre hosts local Masked Singer competition
Published 6:49 pm Monday, February 17, 2025
Police Lieutenant Lee Dunston, known in the competition as Cowboy, was such a fan favorite of the competition that when he was first eliminated, audience outcry got him another chance in the finals, where he chose to fittingly sing an excerpt of Paul Anka's "My Way," popularized by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis. -Photo by Jalen Edmonds of The Stallion
Colton Copeland, dressed up as Mr. Cupid, sang a heartfelt rendition of "Cold Weather" by the Zac Brown Band, but was eliminated by the judges during the first round of the competition. -Photo by Jalen Edmonds of The Stallion
Singer Myron Stevenson chose to go off in his own direction for the contest, donning an inflatable dinosaur costume to sing in. The decision, along with his animated and enthusiastic performance, paid off and pushed him into the finals. -Photo by Jalen Edmonds of The Stallion
Allison Stevens, better known for the competition as Ms. Cupid, fully leaned into the theme of love the competition was based around, walking away from the event with a first place trophy for her two performances. -Photo by Jalen Edmonds of The Stallion
As the Queen of Hearts, Joianna Duffe brought a smooth and solid performance to the competition, carrying plenty of stage presence through her serenade despite remaining close to her standing mic.
TIFTON — Residents of Tifton were given the chance to guess the singers behind the mask in their own community this past Valentine’s Day weekend.
The Tift Theatre became host to its first ever Masked Singer competition, inspired by the reality television show of the same name, the evening of Feb. 15, bringing together a handful of performers from around Tifton to don masks, makeup, or costumes and sing their heart out on stage for the crowd.
Members of the community filled the seats of the theatre, eager to listen to the performances of the singers participating in the contest and to cheer on their favorites as the competition went on.
With the contest being themed around love and love songs due to its proximity to Valentine’s Day, many competitors opted for costumes and subsequent personas matching the tone of the spectacle, but just as many elected to add a splash of eccentricity to the night’s festivities, leading to the roster including performers like The Queen of Hearts alongside the likes of a singing Tyrannosaurus Rex and a guitar-playing Zorro.
The eight singers were given the opportunity to show off their singing skill across two rounds, performing a full ballad in the first and a shorter excerpt in the second. A table of judges, consisting of Ms. Peach State International Shelby Smith, Hunter Pilkinton of Tifton dance school Dancers’ Pointe, and Dean Lawton of Dean’s Event Center, ranked the performers across both rounds on vocal expertise, stage presence, and engagement with the audience.
Love songs were of course the choice of many a competitor, but several of the singers added their own flair to their performances to help them stand out, such as singer Ms. Cupid spreading flower petals around as she sang, Zorro accompanying their song with their aforementioned guitar, and the rootin’ tootin’ singer going by Cowboy opting for a mashup of two love songs.
Cowboy was a particular fan favorite of the audience, earning some of the most vocal support and enthusiasm during and after his performance. When it came down to selecting the contestants who would move on to the second round, the crowd expressed enough protest over Cowboy’s elimination that he was reinstated to ride again alongside the initial final three.
As each singer was removed from the running, they were asked by hosts Peace of Mind Jackson and Phoenix Chameleon to remove their masks and introduce themselves to the audience, revealing themselves as community members, students, and even public safety officers.
Among the final four competitors, judges ruled that Ms. Cupid, revealed to be Allison Jones, was walking away with first place. Cowboy, also known as Lee Dunston, a lieutenant of the city police department, took home second, while Joianna Duffe as The Queen of Hearts was awarded third and Myron Stevenson as Dino placed fourth.
Jones received a trophy and a round of applause for her performances, while each judge received a gift basket assembled with products from local businesses as thanks for their participation in the event.
